The local hospital – formerly known as Centinela Freeman Regional Medical Center, Marina Campus – was fined $25,000 for failing to properly monitor and care for a patient who was losing oxygen. The hospital issued a plan of correction as required by the state, though administrators said in a statement they disagree with the state’s finding.

“Regrettably, the (California Department of Public Health’s) investigation was incomplete as the DPH investigator failed to interview a key witness and never met with key administrators to discuss their findings,” hospital CEO Fred Hunter said.

The mistake occurred in March 2007 when a female patient with breathing problems and a history of congestive heart failure was admitted to the intensive care unit for monitoring. The woman’s ability to absorb oxygen decreased significantly over a 24-minute period, and hospital officials did not take prompt action, according to the state report.

The woman’s rate of oxygen absorption eventually dropped to about 6 percent; a normal person absorbs oxygen at a rate of about 97 percent. The woman was later found unresponsive, and eventually placed on a ventilator, according to the state report.

“The facility’s failure to ensure a registered nurse directly provided an ongoing assessment for (the patient’s) respiratory status and continuously assess the patient’s oxygenation status is a deficiency that has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury or death to the patient,” state investigators found after receiving a complaint and reviewing hospital medical records.

Hunter said in the written statement that the woman died after she was removed from the ventilator with the family’s consent. More than a year later, the hospital was notified of a complaint filed by the family and the subsequent investigation, he said.

“Prior to the investigation, we conducted our own internal investigation and determined that the patient’s care was appropriate,” the statement said.

The hospital’s plan of correction included a full review of its practices related to critically ill patients, implementation of new procedures for documenting how patients are cared for and competency assessments with all intensive care unit nurses.

The hospital also agreed to audit all ICU patient records every day for 90 days after the alleged mistake.

Despite his disagreement with the state investigation, Hunter said the hospital feels a “tremendous amount of empathy for the family and friends who have lost a loved one. We remain committed to enhancing our policies and procedures and are confident that we have fully complied with all DPH’s requests.”

The California Department of Public Health began issuing fines for serious medical errors in 2007 to keep hospitals accountable, state officials said. The minimum fine for medical errors rose to $50,000 this year under new legislation signed by the governor.

This is the first fine for Marina del Rey Hospital, a 145-bed acute care facility on Lincoln Boulevard that serves Playa Vista, Westchester, Playa del Rey, El Segundo and other nearby cities.

Two other Los Angeles County hospitals received fines Wednesday: California Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles was fined $50,000 for failing to follow procedures in administering medicine; and Los Angeles Community Hospital in Norwalk was fined $50,000 for a lapse in assessment and monitoring of a patient.

Melissa Evans is the city editor of the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Prior to joining the Long Beach paper in 2011, she was a reporter covering health care, religion, city government and social issues for newspapers in the Los Angeles area, the Bay Area and the East Coast. She has a master's degree in theology from Loyola Marymount University, a bachelor's degree in journalism from San Diego State, and has completed several fellowships in journalism. She has lived in the Long Beach area since 2007.

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